Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12) eBook

Then the King showed him the trunk of a tree that
was lying near his court-house. It was a very,
very thick trunk. He gave the Prince a wax hatchet,
and said, “To-morrow morning you must cut this
trunk in two with this wax hatchet.”

The Rajah’s son went back to the old woman’s
house. He was very sad, and thought that now
the Rajah would certainly kill him. “I had
his oil crushed out by the ants,” he said to
himself. “I had his demons killed by the
tigers. My bed helped to beat this kettle-drum.
But now what can I do? How can I cut that thick
tree-trunk in two with a wax hatchet?”

At night he went on his bed to see the Princess.
“To-morrow,” he said to her, “your
father will kill me.” “Why?”
asked the Princess.

“He has told me to cut a thick tree-trunk in
two with a wax hatchet. How can I ever do that?”
said the Rajah’s son. “Do not be afraid,”
said the Princess; “do as I bid you, and you
will cut it in two quite easily.”

Then she pulled out a hair from her head and gave
it to the Prince. “To-morrow,” she
said, “when no one is near you, you must say
to the tree-trunk, ’The Princess Labam commands
you to let yourself be cut in two by this hair.’
Then stretch the hair down the edge of the wax hatchet’s
blade.”

The Prince next day did exactly as the Princess had
told him; and the minute the hair that was stretched
down the edge of the hatchet blade touched the tree-trunk
it split into two pieces.

The King said, “Now you can marry my daughter.”
Then the wedding took place. All the Rajahs and
Kings of the countries round were asked to come to
it, and there were great rejoicings. After a few
days the bridegroom said to his bride “Let us
go to my father’s country.” The Princess
Labam’s father gave them a quantity of camels
and horses and rupees and servants; and they traveled
in great state to the distant country, where they
lived happily.

The prince always kept his bag, bowl, bed, stick and
rope; only, as no one ever came to make war on him,
he never needed to use the stick or rope.

MYTHS OF JAPAN

THE JELLYFISH AND THE MONKEY

ADAPTED BY YEI THEODORA OZAKI

Long, long ago, in old Japan, the Kingdom of the Sea
was governed by a wonderful King. He was called
Rin Jin, or the Dragon King of the Sea. His power
was immense, for he was the ruler of all sea creatures
both great and small, and in his keeping were the
Jewels of the Ebb and Flow of the Tide. The Jewel
of the Ebbing Tide when thrown into the ocean caused
the sea to recede from the land, and the Jewel of the
Flowing Tide made the waves to rise mountains high
and to flow in upon the shore like a tidal wave.